Tag Archives: the Hobbit

Another Tolkien Surprise

Posted on September 15, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

As a collector and bookseller, I’ve seen many versions and editions of J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved novel The Hobbit over the years. However, it wasn’t until recently that I was aware of Swedish and Finnish language editions that were illustrated by the anti-Fascist … Continue reading →

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The Nature of Middle-Earth

Posted on December 6, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

H/T to faithful reader Bonnie B. for this post Fans of the Tolkien Universe will be happy to hear that a veritable treasure of unpublished writings from J.R.R. Tolkien will be released this coming June by HaperCollins. Titled “The Nature … Continue reading →

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An Unknown Hobbit

Posted on April 24, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Slovak illustrator Peter Klúcik was commissioned to illustrate a new version of J R R Tolkien’s The Hobbit in 1988. For the project he created 40 illustrations that were rich in detail and quite different from previous works for Tolkien … Continue reading →

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Gandalf has a blog

Posted on January 16, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Starting in 1999 with his casting as Gandalf and continuing through 2003, Ian McKellan wrote a blog called The Grey Book about his experiences starring in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. If you are a fan, you’ll find … Continue reading →

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There and back again (again)

Posted on January 12, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Last year I posted a story about the Oxford Bodleian Library once-in-a-lifetime exhibition Tolkien: Maker of Middle Earth, which was the most extensive public display of original Tolkien materials ever gathered in one place. This week I was dead chuffed to discover … Continue reading →

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There and back again

Posted on January 6, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

A buyer recently contacted me to help him find an American first edition of JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit.  Since the amount that he was willing to pay was ridiculously below the usual prices that the title brings, I didn’t even bother … Continue reading →

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The Writer’s Map

Posted on October 26, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

Just published, The Writer’s Map is a marvelous atlas of literary journeys made by authors. The book explores maps that inspired literary works as well as examples of cartography from famous works of fiction and film. Daniel Reeve recounts his creation of … Continue reading →

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Long Walk To A Dark Place

Posted on April 24, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

A big h/t to Cameron Booth for the link to this marvelous Middle Earth “transit” map. Commissioned by Empire magazine,the brilliant map which plots the journeys of the key characters through the Peter Jackson film adaptations of The Hobbit and Lord of the … Continue reading →

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Back to Middle Earth

Posted on April 14, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

For readers like me, there is very exciting news about the upcoming publication of a “new” J.R.R. Tolkien book this August. Harper Collins has announced the publication of “The Fall of Gondolin”, a story of a hidden city of elves, … Continue reading →

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Middle Earth Parks

Posted on February 7, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

Dan Bell is a very talented amateur cartographer who loves J.R.R. Tolkien’s iconic Middle Earth maps and national parks too. He has combined his interests in a wonderful series of Tolkien-style maps of parks in the U.K. and the U.S.. … Continue reading →

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